28 March 2015 Piano Tuning: Fact or Fiction?

Piano Tuning: Fact or Fiction?

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If you are new to the world of playing the piano, the entire process can be a little overwhelming. Much has been written on how to buy a piano, are new or used pianos better, and what the impacts are of not purchasing a quality piano. But what about maintenance?

Owning a piano is for the long haul. If you are going to play it regularly year after year, your piano will require maintenance. But what does that mean? Can you do it yourself? Are people just trying to make money off the maintenance process, or is there really something to be said for hiring a professional to help you with your piano tuning process?Piano Tuning: Fact or Fiction?

A piano is constructed from 80 percent wood products, and withstands about 20 tons of pressure on an ongoing basis. Many things can impact that relationship – humidity, temperature, movement, and even standing alone over time with no movement at all.

A piano is a living breathing thing. As it changes, even minutely, it will change the tension, and therefore the playability of your piano.

When a piano tuner comes into your home, it may be confusing to watch what he’s doing. After all, he sits down and hits a few notes over and over again, while tinkering around on the inside of your piano. He sits there for an hour or two, and hands you a bill. In some cases his work is complete and will hold you for a few months. In other cases he may have additional recommendations for repair work required to bring your piano into full adjustment.

In either case, it is his responsibility to make sure you understand the process. It is your responsibility to ask questions and learn all you can about the process.

A tuner provides minor and major repairs, adjustments, will regulate the action, voice the hammers, and make recommendations to optimize the functionality of your instrument. This isn’t a process that is learned quickly. A good piano tuner will have thousands of hours in at piano tuning to develop the knowledge needed to understand what he is doing.

It can’t be learned from watching a video online, or reading a book over a weekend. It takes practice. It requires on the job training to learn to “hear” where problems exist, and what is required in order to bring it to the optimal working condition.

Is piano tuning a necessary part of regular maintenance? Only if you wish for your piano to be at its peak performance level whenever you desire to play. To schedule your routine piano tuning appointment, give us a call today.

Filed Under: Piano Playing, Piano Renovation Tagged With:
7 March 2015 How Many Keys On A Piano Do You Need?

How Many Keys On A Piano Do You Need?

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“I’ve recently started looking at digital pianos. I’m new to piano, but love making music. I’ve noticed as I search through different sites that keyboards come with 61 keys, 76 keys, and 88 keys. Why? Is there a difference? Will I be disappointed if I buy a 61 key? Will it limit my playability?”

Great question, and one we hear a lot when people first come in to our retail location, looking at digital pianos.How Many Keys On A Piano Do You Need?

Like every market, there is room for a variety of things. If you go back in time, to the 18th century, you’ll find the harpsichord was created with five octaves, or 61 keys, while pianos were manufactured with 88 keys.

Today, digital pianos are created in a variety of ways, for a variety of needs. That is why you’ll find you’ll find the variance in number of keys. A keyboard designed with 61 keys will have less features, and offer a less than full range of playability for a musician. It also makes the piano more portable. And because many of today’s songs rarely go beyond the five octave range, a smaller keyboard may be just fine.

However, longevity should also be taken into consideration. Is this a starter piano for a budding musician wanting to learn how to play? Or is it a more sophisticated choice, with plans for continued use in the future?

To ensure you have a top quality piano both in sound and playability, focus instead on these:

  • Make sure the keyboard provides full sized keys. In many lesser quality pianos you will find miniature keys that don’t have the same feel as a traditional piano. To ensure you create piano playing skills that can be easily transferred from piano to piano, learn on a full sized keyboard.
  • A full 88 keys is idea for long term playability. 76 is good, 61 is bare minimum. Anything less won’t offer you the keys necessary to learn to play music effectively.
  • The keyboard should provide touch sensitive keys that are weighted to mimic a traditional acoustic piano. Without it, a student will never learn to control the sound they are producing.

The more a keyboard looks and acts like a real keyboard, the easier time you’ll have learning to play and creating quality music.

To feel the difference, stop by our retail location any time. We can show you the differences between today’s leading manufacturers, and help you choose the right keyboard for you.

Filed Under: Owning a Piano, Piano Playing Tagged With: , ,
10 February 2015 Understanding The Three Piano Foot Pedals

Understanding The Three Piano Foot Pedals

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When you look at a piano, you probably get caught up in the beauty of the instrument. The contrast between the black and white keys. The shine and splendor of the case. The richness of the sound.

Yet no matter where you put your focus on the instrument itself, beautiful, rich music would be nothing without the properties of the pedals. At first glance, they are simply levers located far enough away from all the other mechanisms, its easy to forget they are there. But using them effectively is an art form.Understanding The Three Piano Foot Pedals

A professional piano player uses the pedals instinctively; they know how to use them to create the perfect sound. But this “pedal instinct” is one that is learned over many years of practice. What are they and how do you use them?

There are two standard pedals – the una corda and the sustain. The middle pedal is only standard on the American grand piano and is very rarely used.

The una corda is the pedal on the left, and is played with the left foot. It is also known as the soft pedal. The una corda pedal is used to enhance the differences between softly played notes, and is used to exaggerate a low volume. It should be used when playing notes softly to begin with; it will not enhance notes played with a loud voice.

The una corda works by shifting the strings slightly so that the hammers strike them in a softer manner, on a lesser used portion of the string. It allows the hammers to strike the string without full force, which also reduces the overall sound volume.

The sustain pedal is on the right and is played with the right foot. It is also called the damper pedal, the forte pedal, or the loud pedal. The sustain pedal allows the notes to resonate after the keys have been played, and will continue for as long as the pedal is depressed. It allows all of the notes to echo and overlap as the dampers are lifted off the strings, allowing them to vibrate until the pedal is released.

The middle pedal – the sostenuto pedal – is played with the right foot, yet is rarely used. The sostenuto pedal is called the tone sustaining pedal, and allows certain notes to be sustained while other notes are unaffected. It is used by hitting the desired notes, then depressing the pedal. The notes will be affected until the pedal is released. Because it is rarely used, it is not considered a standard addition to a piano, and is often only found on American grand pianos.

As your piano playing becomes more sophisticated and your music becomes richer and more vibrant, you will begin to see marks in the music for including the pedals. Like making music with the piano, the pedals also take time to learn, and will become better with practice.

Have additional questions? Give us a call. With over 50 years in the music business, we can answer any question you may have.

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7 February 2015 Piano Lessons: Private Piano Teacher Versus Learning Online

Piano Lessons: Private Piano Teacher Versus Learning Online

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Most people today buy their very first piano with one goal in mind: to learn to play the piano.

But once that piano is sitting in your home, ready to play, where do you turn to in order to learn your very first song?Piano Lessons: Private Piano Teacher Versus Learning Online

The Internet has changed the way we do just about everything in our lives, and learning to play the piano is no exception. Search the app store and you’ll find a variety of apps with the promise of helping you learn notes and scales. You can invest in quality games that combine hitting the right notes in order to gain points and ultimately win the game. You can watch thousands of videos on YouTube alone. And of course if you do a quick Google search, you’ll find even more sites promising you quick action and new ways of learning the task of playing the piano.

Is it true? Can you learn to play the piano like a professional simply by playing a game or following the advice of a few free videos?

There are, of course, pros and cons to both methods of learning. And when it comes to learning, people learn in many different way. There is never a “one size fits all” formula to deciphering the best learning style.

Private Piano Teacher

Probably the biggest advantage to hiring a private piano teacher is the ability to have one on one contact with a professional. Because they’ve had professional training, and have played the piano for years, they understand the nuances of perfecting your ability. They can hold you accountable for practicing each lesson, and help you discover where problem lie and how to overcome them. There’s something that helps you stick with it when you know you have a lesson coming up in the next few days.

However, when you hire a private piano teacher, you are agreeing to learn in the style they prefer to teach. If they prefer classical music, you will learn classical music. If you have ideas, they may not be willing to listen because it might not fit in with their method of training. You’ll also have to pay for the ability to have one on one contact; something you’ll continue to pay for for as long as you choose to take lessons.

Online Learning

One of the greatest advantages of online learning is access to unlimited possibilities. You can find hundreds of learning styles and thousands of applications to help you decipher the notes, scales, and theory. Yet this can also lead to its biggest drawback; if you aren’t motivated to keep regular practice intervals going, or if you can quickly become overwhelmed with the amount of possibilities, using online resources can push you to give up your dreams of learning to play once and for all.

While each style is unique, and only an individual can decide which is the best opportunity for learning, the Internet has opened the door to possibilities. In some cases using the two together can increase your knowledge, and help you pursue your music in your own unique way.

Filed Under: Piano Lessons, Piano Playing Tagged With: , ,
28 January 2015 Practice Makes Perfect … Or Does It?

Practice Makes Perfect … Or Does It?

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As a child, if you ever played an instrument or took up a new sport, you probably heard the old saying “practice makes perfect” more than a time or two. It’s a familiar phrase everyone seems to use to try and get the routine of practicing to stick and become a part of our lives.

But is it true? Does practice make perfect? Increasingly the evidence is pointingPractice Makes Perfect … Or Does It? towards the answer “no”.

Practice makes perfect. Lets imagine for a moment that your goal is to have your child play the piano. You want them to enjoy music and be able to carry that love throughout their lives. And of course it doesn’t hurt that you’ve heard it will make them a better student as well.

So you sign them up for piano lessons. But like most kids, they have other thoughts in their minds, and don’t love the concept as much as you do. They decide they “hate” going to lessons, and “hate” the chore of 30 minutes a day practice sessions that are forced upon them throughout the week.

In a case like this, no matter how much they practice, they will never perfect their skills. They may play a song better as time goes by, but it will probably sound mechanical, without the love and passion that makes a song have a strong voice.

The difference is in the approach.

Evidence now shows that practice doesn’t make perfect; deliberate practice makes perfect.

You can practice a scale over and over again, making it sound better over time.

You can play a song again and again, getting the notes perfect the more you play.

But the song, the melody, the voice of the music comes from feeling what you play. If you love playing the piano, if you deliberately practice what you play, it will stand out in the end.

If playing the piano has become a chore, its time to take on a new approach. Its time to find the love of playing, not just for the end results of being able to play a particular song.

If you love the outcome, the concept will be stronger from day one. And help you incorporate it into your life from this moment on.

Just remember, practice doesn’t make perfect, deliberate practice does.

Filed Under: Piano Lessons, Piano Playing Tagged With: , ,
24 January 2015 Why Music Should Be Brought Back Into The Schools

Why Music Should Be Brought Back Into The Schools

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Every year, school systems face the challenge of educating students to be world class leaders, while at the same time living under the budget constraints imposed on them by law. The demands of what knowledge we need to instill in them increases, while the funding to make things happen slowly dwindles away.Why Music Should Be Brought Back Into The Schools

Which means as a parent, we need to pick up the slack and offer our kids the things no longer offered in the school systems. (At least until we figure out a way to get the essential programs back in.)

While there may be a wide variety of programs that could be argued for returning to the classroom, one of the biggest that belongs at the top of the list is a great music education.

One of my favorite quotes is:

“Music is the electrical soil in which the spirit lives, thinks and invents.” ~Ludwig van Beethoven

Music is truly the soil that gives us our power to do what we do. Think about it for a minute. What would your life be like if you didn’t have music?

  • Your morning alarm may be set to a tune
  • Your ringtone is a familiar song
  • You hum as you take a shower and prepare for the day
  • Commercials are all designed to have a catchy jingle
  • We listen to our favorite melodies on our smart devices and on the radio
  • They play familiar tunes before sporting events, before our favorite television shows, and even before the daily news
  • Would the Superbowl be the Superbowl without the infamous halftime show?

Yes, the world would not be what we know it to be today without music in our lives. Music is an important part of our lives. And yet the concept of teaching music and the appreciation for all it stands for is going away.

Music helps us learn and gives us:

  • A sense of appreciation
  • Focus and concentration
  • Increased attention span
  • Improved memory
  • Multisensory learning experience
  • Reduced stress levels and tension
  • Increased imagination
  • Inspiration and motivation

And that’s just the beginning. Piano playing has been shown to increase your child’s intelligence, help them do better on the tests they take, and give them a better foundation to be better learners throughout their lives. What could be better than that?

As music continues to slip away from our education system, we as parents need to pick up where the schools are leaving off, and provide these extra skills to our kids from an early age.

Is music a part of your home? We can help you make it so.

Filed Under: Piano Playing Tagged With: , , ,
13 December 2014 What Is Piano Voicing?

What Is Piano Voicing?

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When you begin to learn a new hobby, there are more aspects to learn than just the craft itself. Take, for instance, learning to play the piano. Not only do you have to learn the notes, scales, and finger placement, you also have to learn the buzzwords of the industry.

Like voicing.

Voicing refers to the changing tone of the instrument. Tone can be thought of as the brightness or mellowness of the sound. A note may be perfectly in tune, yet vibrating at a consistency that sounds harsh and bright. It can have a fullness to it that makes it seem like it hovers in the air, or it can have a flat, dullness to it that barely creates a presence.

There are three basic problems when it comes to tone:What Is Piano Voicing?

1. Select notes don’t seem to blend in with the others

2. Entire sections seem to be out of balance with each other – the bass may be bold while the treble is weak

3. The entire piano seems to be balanced, but the overall tone is too bright or mellow

These problems have nothing to do with tuning, and everything to do with voicing.

When you listen to music through a stereo system, you can control the sound in a variety of ways. The easiest is by turning the volume up or down depending on your preference. But with a sophisticated system, you have more controls than that. You can adjust the treble or bass to make the music sound richer and fuller. You can move the sound from one channel to another, creating surround sound. You are not changing the music; just the way you hear it.

The human ears are designed to pick up many different frequencies. Every frequency has its own volume and pattern. That’s why you can distinguish a friend’s voice calling to you across a crowded room, or why a mother can hear her infant cry in a room full of children.

If a piano is in tune and properly voiced, it will create a harmonious sound that is not only a joy to listen to, but also a joy to play. Imagine a beginning piano player sitting down and playing her first tune. She hears the melody, but knows the sound simply isn’t right. That’s where frustration can begin to set in.

Voicing is bringing every note into balance so that one note compliments the other as it is played. Instead of each note working individually, they work together to create one harmonious sound.

How is this accomplished?

Through proper tuning. The strings must be properly seated and firmly in place. Hammers must be in proper working condition and centered on their strings.

Think this is a job for just anyone? Think again. This is where the art of tuning comes into play. The art of listening and diagnosing the tonal weakness takes years of experience and a great deal of patience.

If its been a while since your piano was tuned, you may have noticed some issues with the tone. The voicing may be off. Which means its time to schedule tuning with a trained professional and bring it back into full working condition. Give us a call today; we can have your piano playing beautifully again in no time.

Filed Under: Owning a Piano, Piano Playing Tagged With: , ,
11 December 2014 Gift Giving Guide For The Piano Player In Your Life

Gift Giving Guide For The Piano Player In Your Life

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It seems as if gift giving gets a little more difficult every year. We’re all busy people. And in most cases, if we want something, we simply buy it. Why wait around for one day of the year, and hope someone reads your mind and purchases what your heart truly desires. Its much easier to get it yourself, right?

Yet at the same time, nothing can say “I love you” more than receiving a gift that is well thought out, and truly shows you know what the other person wants. You’ve taken the time to consider what means the most, and have put thought and care into the gift you give.Gift Giving Guide For The Piano Player In Your Life

If you have a piano player in your life, you already have a few indications in place to help guide you in the right direction. Piano players love making music. And by acknowledging that love and giving a gift that can help them do it more, or make it even better, you are giving a lasting gift they’ll think of all year through.

Piano Lights

When you sit down to play a song, most people start by propping open a book to read the music as they go along. The better you can see the music, the easier it is to play. While any light may do the job, there are specific lights designed for the type of piano you are using. Why not surprise your loved one with the gift of light?

Piano Benches

Piano benches aren’t a one-size-fits-all piece of furniture. Instead, they come in a variety of styles and sizes. When people invest in a piano, in many cases the piano bench is an afterthought, simply purchased to make do for the moment. If that is the case with your loved one, why not surprise them with a bench made for the instrument? Styles and sizes are designed to compliment the type of instrument – upright or grand – and the height of the instrument to ensure proper hand placement. When in doubt, measure the height and bring it in. We’ll help you select the perfect tool for the job.

Piano

When a piano player truly loves the art of making music, one piano is never enough. They may have the old upright in the corner, the one handed down from generation to generation that they learned to play on and love more than anything. But what would they do with a grand piano on display in the family room? Or a digital piano they can transport to different locations and use whenever they desire?

With so many options available, the best way to choose the perfect gift is to come by and select something from the heart. We can help you find the perfect gift for the piano player in your life, and have it wrapped up and under the tree in plenty of time for the big day.

Filed Under: Piano Playing Tagged With: ,
3 December 2014 How To Start A Successful Piano Teaching Business

How To Start A Successful Piano Teaching Business

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People start piano teaching businesses for a variety of reasons. But no matter what reasons you’ve had in mind, chances are two of the top are:

  • To help people bring piano into their lives
  • To make money

If you are in business, one of your top goals is to make money; without it you won’t have a business. But even the concept of making money varies widely from teacher to teacher. Some simply want to supplement their income with a little extra spending money, while others want a full time career.How To Start A Successful Piano Teaching Business

There are a few strategies that can help you bring success to your piano teaching business, no matter what goals you have in mind.

Planning

The end of the year is a great time to map out the following year. This helps you see how many clients you’ll need, what you’ll have time for, plan for vacations, and help you increase sales by doing extra things. How about a bootcamp for adults? Or a summer camp for kids? By mapping it out early, you can start the planning process for getting your marketing ideas together, and advertising it early enough to have a full house.

Budget

Its easy to add up the checks to see how much money is coming in. But that isn’t taking everything into account. How much is insurance, taxes, marketing, and other studio expenses … like rent? How often will you have to replace your pianos? How often will you buy accessories, music, tune your pianos, photocopies for recitals, etc? Be careful to estimate all of your expenses and budget accordingly.

Forward … Back

What worked well over the past year? Where do you hope to grow? In some cases, the best way to plan is to look back over the past year and find things that worked, as well as areas you wish to grow. Don’t just look at your actions, look to the numbers as well.

Grow

How big do you want your studio to become? Are you happy with spending money? Or do you wish to have a six figure income? Put numbers to it now so that you can see how large you will have to grow in order to achieve the results you are looking for. When you see that boosting your income only needs an additional 10 clients, for instance, it can change your perspective on what is possible.

Partner Up

You can’t build a business alone. If you don’t understand marketing, you may have to hire a consultant to help you put the pieces together. And when it comes to keeping your piano equipment in good working order, it also benefits you to have a trusted source at your fingertips. From regular tunings, to periodic repair, to complete restoration, or maybe purchasing a brand new piano, part of the process is having someone you can trust to be there when you need it most. What would you do if you had a major repair the day before a recital? When you choose a reputable piano company to have on board as a resource, you know you’ll always be at the top of your game.

Filed Under: Piano Lessons, Piano Playing Tagged With: ,
26 November 2014 Making Piano Playing A Habit For Life

Making Piano Playing A Habit For Life

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“We become what we repeatedly do.” ~Sean Covey

Motivation, expectations, and foundational habits; all are needed in order to become a great piano player and enjoy it in the process.

Though in this case we’re talking about playing the piano, the same characteristics can be applied to any new direction you’re taking in life. Good habits lead to success, which leads to happiness. At its root is the process of forming good habits. The better you become at putting something new into your life, the more you’ll make it stick and be happy with the results.Making Piano Playing A Habit For Life

Yet as a human, I’m sure you realize that saying (or reading) this and actually accomplishing it are two different things. Saying you want to be a great piano player, for instance, and building it into a successful habit are two different things. Life gets in the way, and before you know it, weeks have flown by with no action taken.

Its hard to make piano playing a habit under those circumstances.

If piano playing is truly important in your life, or in the life of your child’s, there are a few things you can do that will put the odds in your favor.

Be 100% Committed

If piano playing is a part of your child’s future, you have to commit to making it a part of your life. That means taking the good with the bad, the fun with the not-so-much fun. You can’t approach it with the attitude of doing it as long as its fun. Invariably your child will burn out, whine and complain. Its your job to keep them motivated, and look for ways of making it fun.

Practice. Practice. Practice.

What makes a child better at addition or multiplication tables? Practice. What makes someone a better swimmer? Practice. Piano playing is no different. You can’t sit down and play a popular tune your first time at the keyboard. It takes practice to learn the notes, and practice to learn how to combine notes into a song. The more you practice, the better it will sound, the more fun you will have.

The Ultimate Purpose

Practicing should never be overwhelming. In fact, the true purpose of practicing is simply to get it down to a routine. When you first start, the hardest part is putting it into your life. Practice should always be about establishing a healthy habit of putting it into your life. Five minutes a day every day at 3 pm is much better than playing a scale a few dozen times once per week. Practice is the health way of bringing this new talent into your life. Once it becomes a habit you enjoy, then you can build other key points into the routine – scales, playing songs a number of times, etc.

Provide Encouragement

For an 8 year old boy, 1 minute of practice may be a huge accomplishment. Recognize the effort put into practice and encourage him for what he’s accomplished. Tell him you recognize how much he’s improved. Tell him how good of a job he’s doing. Tell him you are impressed with his attitude towards playing every day. All of these can impress on your child the desire to want to take the next step, and build on skills already developed.

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